Ethiopian veterans seek political asylum in South Korea

Sept 14, 2006 (SEOUL) — A group of 12 Ethiopians have asked for political asylum in South Korea, the Korea Veterans Association (KVA) and the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The Ethiopians, who were in town for a performance, are now in the protective custody of the Korea Immigration Bureau after they ran away from the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Seoul Wednesday night, the KVA said in a statement.

A group of 12 Ethiopian veterans and their 12 grandchildren arrived in South Korea on Monday along with a nine-member performance troupe. They had planned to attend the opening ceremony for a museum for Ethiopian veterans in Chunchon, 85 kilometres northeast of Seoul, but the schedule has been postponed indefinitely.

But the Foreign Ministry said it would be difficult to grant asylum to them if their motivation is economic in nature, rather than political as claimed, reported the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

“We are in the process of checking the situation. It will take time to determine their status because of the procedures,” an official said, asking to remain anonymous. “Their fate will likely depend on whether their motive is political or economic.”

In 2001, several Ethiopians sought asylum in South Korea but only one was granted refugee status because his anti-government career was acknowledged, the official added.

The six asylum seekers are grandchildren of visiting Ethiopian veterans who participated in the 1950-53 Korean War, and the rest are members of a performance group, another official familiar with the issue said. He declined to give further details.

During the Korean War, the United States, Ethiopia and 14 other countries fought alongside South Korea under the United Nations flag against the invading North.

(ST)